Faller bars for textile combing machines and other comb-like members



Unite States 1 1 3,532,077

[72] Inventors Matthew K. Mann 56] References Cited shililey; UNITED STATES PATENTS [2]] App] No R England 2,925,923 5/1961 Kohler 19/129 [22] Filed h 1968 3,057,021 10/1962 H111 19/129 Patented oct- 3,344,482 10/1967 Mann et al 19/129 [73] Assignee Plastex Limited FOREIGN PATENTS Dublin, Ireland 736,163 9/1955 G Feat Britain l t. 19/129 a corporation 0f Ireland Primary Examiner-Dorsey Newton Pnomy AnorneyNorris and Bateman ABSTRACT: A faller bar for a textile combing machine comprises a moulded synthetic plastics body within which the butt ends of a series of pins are embedded during molding and at least one longitudinally extending metal strengthening [54] FALLER BARS FOR TEXTILE COMBING m'ember embedded in the body part. At each end metal plates MACHINES AND OTHER COMBJJKE MEMBERS have roots embedded in the body and the plates project 12 Claims, 12 Drawing Figs. beyond the ends of said body part for cooperatlon with parts of the machine with which the faller bar is to be used. The metal plates are physically separate from the ends of the [52] U.S.Cl 19/129 strengthening member although they may overlap and be in (51] Int. Cl DOlg 19/10 contact. This provides a structure wherein the bar is relatively [50] Field of Search 19/129, 127 weak, (in bending) in zones near its end sections.

Patented Oct. 6, 1970 Shet IIWWIIIIIF. 4 1

m wi INVENTORS mm'rusw KEAME Til MA NN FALLER BARS FOR TEXTILE COMBING MACHINES AND OTHER COMILLIKE MEMBERS The invention relates to faller bars or other comb-like members and has for its object to provide an improvement therein. In particular, the invention relates to faller bars or the like, made largely of a synthetic resin or a synthetic plastics material, for textile combing machines which require the end portions of said bars to be relatively thin for cooperation with parts of the machine.

According to the invention, therefore, thereis provided a faller bar for a textile combing machine, the faller bar comprising a moulded body part; at least one longitudinally extending metal strengthening member embedded in said body part; and respective metal plates projecting beyond the ends of said body part for cooperation with parts of the machine with which the faller bar is to be used.

Inorder that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a partly broken away side view of a faller bar embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is an end view thereof,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 in FIG. '1 before a moulding operation has been carried out,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating a modified form of faller bar,

FIG. 6 is a view on the line 6-6 in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating a further modified form of faller bar,

FIG. 8 is a view on the line 8-8 in FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view illustrating a still further modified form of faller bar,

FIG. 10 is a sectional view on the line 10-10 in FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view on the line 11-11 in FIG. 9, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a somewhat modified part ofthe bar illustrated in FIG. 9.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, a faller bar for use in a textile combing machine comprises a body part 10 moulded around the butt ends of a series of pins 12 the main portions of which project from the upper surface of the body part as in a conventional faller bar. A longitudinally extending metal strengthening member 14 is embedded in the body part, said member being of substantially U-shape in cross section and being disposed with its open side uppermost. The butt ends of the pins are disposed between the two side walls of the strengthening member. End portions of the insert are flattened and extend into somewhat deeper end portions of the body part, said deeper end portions being generally indicated 16.

Respective metal plates 18 project beyond the ends of the body part for cooperation with parts of the machine with which the faller bar is to be used. Said plates are slightly angled with respect to the body part and to the pins which project from said body part so that the faller bar can be correctly disposed in the combing machine. A root end of each of said plates is constituted by a pair of parallel tang pieces 20 which define a slot 22 therebetween, and the adjacent flattened end of the metal strengthening member 14, which has a slight set" as shown in FIG. 1, extends into said slot substantially midway between its ends. A pair of holes 24 which extend through both tang pieces 20 are spaced apart so as to lie outside the end of the strengthening member. The end portions I6 are provided with respective conductor slots 26 which are formed during the moulding of the body part and which expose short lengths of the strengthening member near its opposite ends. The exposed ends of the strengthening member are intended to make contact with a metal part of the machine in which the faller bar is to be used, so that static electricity will be discharged through such contact.

The material of which the body part is moulded extends all around the metal strengthening member and all around and between the tang pieces 20 of the plates 18. It also extends through the holes 24 so that the plates I8 are securely anchored at the ends of the body part of the faller bar. However, since there is no physical connection between the ends of the strengthening member and the metal plates 18 other than the mass of synthetic material in which they are em- 5 bedded (they are a clearance fit between said plates) it will be realised that at the ends of the strengthening member there are zones in which the faller bar is relatively weak, its strength in bending (but not in shear) being determined by the synthetic material alone. This is a desirable feature of the bar since, in the event of the combing machine being overloaded or of foreign matter being accidentally fed to it, the bar (or a number of such bars) will break rather than a much more expensive part of the machine. t

A suitable material for moulding the body part of the faller bar has been found to be a synthetic resinous material, in particular a glass filled nylon, with which graphite is mixed, reinforced with glass fibre. Other materials could be used, however, such as synthetic plastics materials, for example hard 20 grades of polythene.

Thus there is provided a faller bar, for a textile combing machine, made largely of a synthetic resin or a synthetic plastics material and having end portions which are relatively thin for cooperation with parts of the machine, that is to say thinner than could be formed of the synthetic resin or synthetic plastics material consistent with adequate strength.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, in a modification of the faller bar just described, the ends of the metal strengthening member have been forked as shown in FIG. 5, that is to say, at each of its ends one of its two side walls has been carried straight on almost to the end of the body part and its other side wall has been bent downwardly so that the opposite ends of the strengthening member diverge. Furthermore, the plate members 18 (which in FIGS. 14 are shown as having been formed from solid blocks of metal) are in this case stamped out or cut out from flat plate. The visible end portions of the plates 18 are angled as required relative to root portions thereof which are embedded in the synthetic material of the body part so that in the finished faller bar they are correctly disposed. The arrangement is such that the divergent ends of the strengthening member overlap the ends of the root portions of the plates 18. In this case also, therefore, the strength of the bar at its opposite ends, in bending if not in shear, is dependent upon the strength of the synthetic plastic material alone.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, in a. further modification of the faller bar first described with reference to FIGS. 1-4, the metal strengthening member is completely straight but its ends have been cut short so that they extend only across the slots 26. In other words they do not extend into the slots 22 between the tang pieces 20 of the plates 18. In addition, a further series of holes 24 has been drilled through each pair of tang pieces so that the plastics material is able to flow into the slot 22 and the holes 24, to improve the key between the plates 18 and the body part. In this case, it will be seen that the strength of the bar at each end, both in shear and in bending, is dependent on the strength of the synthetic material alone.

In a still further modification illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, a faller bar is provided which has end portions 28 of different shape to those of the faller bars previously described. The faller bar is, however, in its essentials basically similar to those previously described, that is to say it comprises a body part 10 moulded around the butt ends of a series of pins 12 with a metal strengthening member 14 embedded in said body part and respective metal plates 18 projecting beyond its ends. In this case, however, each end portion 28 has a wedge shaped groove 30 on one side instead of the slot 26. The flattened end portions of the strengthening member are laterally inclined as shown in FIG. 10 and break through the surface of these grooves, as shown in FIG. 11, again for the discharge of static electricity. Tang pieces 32 of the metal plates 18, which also break through the surfaces of said grooves, are disposed in parallel with the end portions of the strengthening member but are separated therefrom by the synthetic material. The

key between the plates 18 and the body part is again improved by holes 34 which extend through the tang portions, but it will be seen that the strength of the bar at each end is dependent, at least in shear, on the strength of the synthetic material alone.

As perhaps best seen in FIG. 10, it is preferred that the plates 18 and their integral tang pieces should be machined from solid pieces of metal. In this way, root portions thereof at the very extremity of the body part can be relatively thick and are preferably formed with shallow serrations (not shown) to improve still further the key" between said plates and body. However, as an alternative to this, the plates 18 may be stamped out integrally with their tang pieces 32 from flat plate. Subsequently, the plates 18 will be angled as required relative to the tang pieces as shown in FIG. 12 before being positioned in the mould, (together with the pins 12 clamped between the side walls of the strengthening member 14) for the synthetic material to form a bond around the metal parts and set" them in the correct relative positions. It will be noticed that the stamping shown in FIG. 12 has been provided with three holes 34 through which the synthetic material may flow during the moulding operation.

From the foregoing it will be understood that a faller bar or other comb-like member embodying the invention will be made largely of a synthetic material for lightness and cheap ness in manufacture. It will, however, be provided with a metal strengthening member and with metal end pieces, and the arrangement will be such that it will break on overload to safeguard the machine in which it is fitted. In the embodiments described with reference to the drawings, this has been ensured by the breaking away of the metal end pieces which have not been securely connected to the ends of the strengthening member.

Various other modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and it will of course be understood that the end portions 16 may be ofa special shape to suit a particular textile combing machine. Although the metal strengthening members 14 in all the embodiments described above have been described as being of U-shape in cross section, it should be understood that they could be of any other preferred cross sectional shape, for example, they could com prise plain metal strips. There could if preferred be two such strips extending along the length of each faller bar. The or each strengthening member could be provided with a corrugated or ribbed surface to improve its key in the synthetic material ofthe body part.

While the invention is primarily designed for application to faller bars, it will be understood that it can equally well be applied to other comb-like members which are normally made of metal and have a series of pins projecting therefrom. For example, the invention could be applied to hackles and gills, French top combs and segments.

We claim:

1. In a faller bar for a textile combing machine; an integral longitudinally extending body part made of a moulded synthetic plastics material; a series of metal pins arranged to project in a row along an intermediate section of said body part with their butt ends moulded within said body part; at lease one longitudinally extending metal strengthening member embedded in said body part; said strengthening member extending beyond the row of pins at each end of said body part; and respective metal plates eachhaving its inner or root end embedded in said body part and projecting from and longitudinally beyond the ends of said body part for co-operation with parts of the machine with which the faller bar is to be used, said plates being physically separate from said strengthening member within said body part.

27 A faller bar according to claim 1 wherein the metal plates which project beyond the ends of the body part overlap the ends of the longitudinally extending metal strengthening member within said body part.

3. A faller bar according to claim 1 wherein a root end of each of the said metal plates within the body art is constituted by a pair of parallel tang pieces which efine a slot therebetween.

4. A faller bar according to claim 3, wherein at least one hole is drilled in each of said tang pieces for the material of which the body part is moulded to extend therethrough.

5. A faller bar according to claim 3, wherein the ends of the metal strengthening member extend between the tang pieces which constitute the root ends of the metal plates projecting beyond the ends of the body part.

6. A faller bar according to claim 2, wherein a root end of each of the metal plates which project beyond the ends of the body part is constituted by a tang piece which extends in parallel with an adjacent end portion of the metal strengthening member.

7. A faller bar according to claim 1, wherein said metal end plates have their inner ends embedded by moulding within the ends of said body part. 7

8. A faller bar according to claim 1, wherein the outer ends of said strengthening member terminate within the body part short of the inner ends of said metal plates.

9. A faller bar according to claim 1, wherein at least one end of the metal strengthening member is exposed through a side recess in said body part adjacent an end plate.

10. A faller bar according to claim 1, wherein at least one end of said strengthening member is formed with forked elements that extend alongside the adjacent inner end of the corresponding metal plate within said body part.

11. A faller bar according to claim 1 wherein the embedded inner end of each said metal plate comprises a tang piece that extends inwardly within said body part along and substantially parallel to corresponding end regions of said strengthening 0 member, each said tang piece being separated from the adjacent end of the strengthening member by plastics material.

12. A faller bar as defined in claim 11, wherein each said tang is recessed to receive integral interlocking extensions of plastics material. 

